Last week, 45 Dalhousie Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Management students visited Toronto for a 3-day whirlwind tour of over 20 different companies/organizations. Browse through the buzz of enthusiastic comments tweeted with #TOCorpTour by employers and students alike. We asked students to blog about their time on the tour and 3rd year Bachelor of Commerce student Rachel McGlogan and 1st year Bachelor of Commerce student Doug Batten rose to the challenge!
Here are their thoughts and impressions on their very first Corporate Tour experience.
Dalhousie’s Toronto Corporate Tour: Finding Your Fit – Rachel McGlogan
“You need to do what makes your heart sing,” is the advice that the Associate Vice President of my division at Canadian Tire gave me during my first co-op. The Toronto Corporate Tour reiterated this for me as I learned that finding your fit within an organization is not only the key to success but also what is going to lead you to harnessing your passions. The Corporate Tour gave students the opportunity to network with an extensive variety of potential employers and Dalhousie alumni. The looming opportunity of being able to meet with best and brightest in various industries of who could potentially help launch your career was both exciting yet incredibly daunting at the same time.
The nervousness simmered as the tour was underway. By being able to visit a wide spectrum of Toronto companies, students were able to explore different options for their upcoming careers and learn what exactly they needed to bring to the table in order to land their dream job. Almost every employer stressed the fact that fitting in with corporate culture was by far the most important aspect of the making the cut to getting hired.
What I personally took away from the Toronto Corporate Tour is that you need to do what is right for you in order to make the most for your career. Making a ton of money at a reputable company is great but if you’re not doing what makes your heart sing then you’re not going to be truly motivated to succeed. Finding your fit within a company that merges your talents with your passions is what is going to separate a good job from a dream job.
My Toronto Corporate Tour Experience – Doug Batten
– Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON – 04/29/15
Walking through the doors at the main office for Softchoice in Toronto, was one moment that really struck me. The environment you walk into is a mixture of comfortable, driven and cohesive work teams. All of which are surrounded by an absolutely stunning open concept work space, that uses bright colors and retired dog names to label office sections. Yes, you read that right, there is an abundance of dogs, puppies and even puppies-in-training, quietly passing through the offices. This comfortable feel was evident as we toured this amazing office full of young driven people. At Softchoice, we were given valuable networking tools and strategies that I will be using to better develop my career.
– Bloor Street, Toronto, ON – 04/30/15
The feelings I experienced at Unilever were of a different sort, feelings unique to Unilever. This was the first time I truly believed the ads for many of the brands I use daily including Dove, Axe and Becel. There was a strong sense of passion for giving back through their products, promoting a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Various advertising campaigns ran by Unilever with Dove were aimed to promote self beauty. It’s issues such as this that Unilever targets, that separates them from other companies in the industry. Having an involvement in the community and ensuring your company is moving towards a better healthier future, is the type of company the world needs more of.
By providing deep insight into these companies, and beneficial experiences in networking, this tour had a lot to offer. I would like to thank all the representatives who presented on behalf of their firm, as well as anyone involved in the tour from Dalhousie!
